Last Day In Russia

I am a confidant independant well traveled person. I have been to many
countries and experienced many cultures. I can take care of myself and
get into and out of complicated situations. This does not mean I do
not accept help.

It takes time (sometimes multiple times) for me to learn a lesson.
When I travel I want to prove to people that I know what I'm doing and
can "handle" myself. On this trip I learned a lesson in accepting help
from others. My friends here like Mehkty and Vitya and Julia give so
freely of their time and assitance, I am sometimes reluctant to accept
it. Although they have offered many times (and I should have welcomed
it with open arms) to help me I have not embraced it fully.

On this trip it took a simple act from Valya to know how important it
is to recognize the value of help from friends. I'm sure she does not
know the impact it had on me and maybe when she reads this she will
recognize the profound effect it had on my mentality for the remainder
of my trip, and my life. We often say in discovery, you never know
what repricussions even the smallest action will have, and this is
just such a case.

We were walking through St Petersburg and, of course, it was very
cold. I was bundled up in two jackets, a hat, gloves, and a scarf. She
nonchalantly reached up and adjusted my scarf around my neck and
tucked it in. Immediatly I felt a signifigant improvement in my
warmth. I guess I did not know the propper application of scarves.
This is no surprise since I grew up in Sourhern California.

This friendly gesture made me realize the wealth of information I am
lacking and the value of learning from others. From that moment on I
made a concerted effort to listen to the advice of my friends and heed
their warnings and incorporate them into my actions.

It's funny how the little things people do can embed themselves into
your soul and transform you into a different person. This will be my
last post from Russia for some time. I have grown and learned so much
on this trip, perhaps more than any previous excursion here. I am
thankful for the people that I have become close to. I look forward to
returning here and continuing my relations with them.

Today I say бака (bye) to Russia but I think the French say it better
"A bien tot" until we see each other again.

-Dana